WHITE NEOPHRON. 167 



is slender, and nearly of the same length as the head ; the fore- 

 head, sides of the head, and a small portion of the throat are 

 denuded and smooth ; on the rest of the head and neck the 

 feathers are lanceolate and acuminate, on the body ovate, ob- 

 tuse, and compact. The wings are very large, and extend 

 when closed nearly to the end of the tail, which is much 

 rounded or graduated, and composed of fourteen feathers. The 

 tarsi are of moderate length, reticulated with hexagonal scales ; 

 the hind toe short, with four scutella, the second shorter than 

 the fourth, and having three scutella, the third very long, with 

 four, the outer with six. The claws are moderate, compressed, 

 arched, concave beneath, bluntly pointed. 



The bill is dusky, toward the base flesh-coloured ; the cere 

 orange-yellow ; the bare part of the face and throat pale yel- 

 low ; the iris red ; the feet greenish-yellow, the claws black. 

 The plumage is yellowish- white, excepting the primary quills, 

 and the basal portion, with a great part of the inner webs of 

 the secondaries, which are black. 



Length to end of tail 27 inches ; bill along the ridge 2^, 

 alonw the edo^e of lower mandible 2 A ; wing from flexure 18 ; 

 tail 8 ; tarsus Sj ; hind toe |§, its claw -^^ ; second toe Ij^^^, 

 its claw \l ; middle toe 3, its claw \l ; outer toe lj§, its 

 claw 1^2. 



Female. — The female is similar to the male, but somewhat 

 inferior in size. 



Young. — In its first plumage, the young, according to M. 

 Temminck, has the bare part of the head of a livid hue, and 

 thinly covered with grey down ; the cere and feet ash-grey ; all 

 the plumage of a dark brown colour, variegated with yellowish- 

 brown spots ; the quills black ; the iris brown. Subsequently 

 the plumage is of a lighter tint, and assumes its white colour 

 in the third or fourth year. 



Habits. — Very little is known respecting the habits of this 

 bird, beyond what is common to it and most other vultures of 

 small size. It appears to be generally distributed in Africa, 



